Toggle above to switch between keyword search and direct hadith lookup
الادب المفرد
Adab al-Mufrad
كتاب الأكابرBook of the Elders
بَابُ إِجْلالِ الْكَبِيرِChapter: Honoring the Elderly
Hadith 357
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَوْفٌ، عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ مِخْرَاقٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو كِنَانَةَ، عَنِ الأَشْعَرِيِّ قَالَ: إِنَّ مِنَ إِجْلاَلِ اللهِ إِكْرَامَ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ الْمُسْلِمِ، وَحَامِلِ الْقُرْآنِ، غَيْرِ الْغَالِي فِيهِ، وَلاَ الْجَافِي عَنْهُ، وَإِكْرَامَ ذِي السُّلْطَانِ الْمُقْسِطِ.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Part of honoring Allah is to show respect and reverence to an elderly Muslim, to honor the carrier of the Qur'an who neither exaggerates nor neglects it, and to honor a just ruler.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues:
➊ To honor and respect an elderly and aged Muslim—meaning to treat him with dignity, to give him a place in gatherings, and to listen to his words—is to honor Allah, because Allah has commanded respect for him, and he too has honor and esteem in the sight of Allah.
➋ The reciter, memorizer, and scholar of the Qur’an is referred to as the bearer of the Qur’an (hamil al-Qur’an), because he endures great hardship to acquire it. However, two conditions have been stipulated for this: first, that he should not be excessive (ghuluww). Excessiveness in the Qur’an could mean that he recites it so much that he neglects other obligations because of it, or that he is excessive in other aspects of life in a way that contradicts the teachings of the Qur’an, for the Qur’an commands moderation. Or, it could mean excessiveness in tajwid (rules of recitation), such that he becomes heedless of reflection and the purpose of the Qur’an. As for negligence (jafa’), it is to abandon its recitation, to forget it after having learned it, or not to seek practical guidance from it. In short, it is necessary to honor the scholar who is not guilty of excess or negligence regarding the Qur’an.
➌ To honor and respect a just and fair ruler, and to support and assist him, is obligatory. Whoever insults a just ruler is a great criminal who dishonors the commands of Allah.
➊ To honor and respect an elderly and aged Muslim—meaning to treat him with dignity, to give him a place in gatherings, and to listen to his words—is to honor Allah, because Allah has commanded respect for him, and he too has honor and esteem in the sight of Allah.
➋ The reciter, memorizer, and scholar of the Qur’an is referred to as the bearer of the Qur’an (hamil al-Qur’an), because he endures great hardship to acquire it. However, two conditions have been stipulated for this: first, that he should not be excessive (ghuluww). Excessiveness in the Qur’an could mean that he recites it so much that he neglects other obligations because of it, or that he is excessive in other aspects of life in a way that contradicts the teachings of the Qur’an, for the Qur’an commands moderation. Or, it could mean excessiveness in tajwid (rules of recitation), such that he becomes heedless of reflection and the purpose of the Qur’an. As for negligence (jafa’), it is to abandon its recitation, to forget it after having learned it, or not to seek practical guidance from it. In short, it is necessary to honor the scholar who is not guilty of excess or negligence regarding the Qur’an.
➌ To honor and respect a just and fair ruler, and to support and assist him, is obligatory. Whoever insults a just ruler is a great criminal who dishonors the commands of Allah.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 357
